Customer success manager vs customer relations manager

The differences between customer success managers and customer relations managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a customer success manager, becoming a customer relations manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a customer success manager has an average salary of $93,820, which is higher than the $66,782 average annual salary of a customer relations manager.

The top three skills for a customer success manager include client facing, cloud and account management. The most important skills for a customer relations manager are customer issues, customer relations, and customer satisfaction.

Customer success manager vs customer relations manager overview

	Customer Success Manager	Customer Relations Manager
Yearly salary	$93,820	$66,782
Hourly rate	$45.11	$32.11
Growth rate	5%	8%
Number of jobs	95,053	61,089
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	46	42
Years of experience	8	4

What does a customer success manager do?

A customer success manager works to understand repeat customers and prioritize their long-term needs. Primarily, they manage the customer relationship and give them prompt value propositions. They act as mentors to customers by educating them about the sales process and ensure efficient transaction processing. Their tasks include advocating for the company, onboarding customers to the products, follow-up on renewals, and encouraging cross-sells and upsells. Additionally, they build relationships with the customer and the support team as well as advocating customers' needs.

What does a customer relations manager do?

Customer relations managers focus on maintaining close connections with customers. It is done through marketing strategies that will continue to engage customers daily. Constant communication creates a closeness with customers and, in the end, solidifies trust and confidence in the company's products and services. The role of the customer relations manager is crucial for maintaining a solid customer base for the company. A customer relations manager must have good communication and interpersonal skills.

Customer success manager vs customer relations manager salary

Customer success managers and customer relations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Customer Success Manager	Customer Relations Manager
Average salary	$93,820	$66,782
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $142,000	Between $42,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	Redwood City, CA	Pleasanton, CA
Highest paying state	California	Nevada
Best paying company	VMware	Amazon
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between customer success manager and customer relations manager education

There are a few differences between a customer success manager and a customer relations manager in terms of educational background:

	Customer Success Manager	Customer Relations Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Bakersfield

Customer success manager vs customer relations manager demographics

Here are the differences between customer success managers' and customer relations managers' demographics:

	Customer Success Manager	Customer Relations Manager
Average age	46	42
Gender ratio	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	16%

Differences between customer success manager and customer relations manager duties and responsibilities

Customer success manager example responsibilities.

Help doctors manage their facebook page and website.
Achieve excellent performance results as compared to other Aarons stores.
Help customers establish spend and savings goals and achieve those to get full ROI.
Link QuickBooks system with customer sales database to automate the process of tax administration.
Well verse in leveraging CRM to manage accounts, capture metrics, and implement relevant processes.
Raise RingCentral's NPS score, by creating superb relations with clients that lead to increase survey ratings.

Customer relations manager example responsibilities.

Create, manage, and optimize websites, blogs, social media pages, twitter accounts.
Work within standing orders to help patients effectively manage their diabetes though medications and other specialty consultations.
Provide oversight and direction to the employees in the operating unit in accordance with the organization's policies and procedures.
Collect and distribute payroll bi-weekly.
Complete payroll information require to include punch details and other payroll information as needed.
Develop and cultivate vendor relationships constructing a prefer supplier base internally to be leverage across client base.

Customer success manager vs customer relations manager skills

Common customer success manager skills

Client Facing, 10%
Cloud, 7%
Account Management, 7%
Customer Relationships, 5%
Saas, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common customer relations manager skills

Customer Issues, 15%
Customer Relations, 13%
Customer Satisfaction, 12%
Dealership, 9%
Customer Complaints, 6%
Warranty Claims, 4%

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Customer Success Manager
Customer Success Manager vs Customer Relations Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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